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North York Hydro Green Space, site photograph
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Ravine / Naturalized ParkType:Underperforming / Leftover Space (enclosure-leaning)Victoria Village

North York Hydro Green Space

Ravine / Naturalized Park, near the bottom of the city overall (score 22, rank ~6th percentile). Strongest: connectivity; weakest: enclosure.

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Aerial, City of Toronto orthophoto, ~8 cm/px source · cached 5/9/2026

Data updated

North York Hydro Green Space scores 22 / 100. Strongest dimensions: connectivity and enclosure / eyes on park. Weakest: amenity diversity (0). Border-vacuum risk is elevated (100). This score is a transparent reading of Jane Jacobs-style vitality factors, not a definitive judgment.

Best forescape into nature

Area · 7.40 ha

Getting around

Paths

No walking paths mapped in OpenStreetMap.

Seating

No seating mapped in OpenStreetMap.

Arrival

Nearest parking 17 m away. 1 of 22 nearby lots reporting 1 accessible space.

Path, seating and parking data comes from OpenStreetMap and reflects what volunteers have mapped, not a survey. Absence here means nobody has recorded it. This section does not assess wheelchair access: the relevant OpenStreetMap tag is present on well under 1% of Toronto paths.

Vitality Score
22/100

Weighted across six dimensions · confidence 59%

Data Confidence
22.0 / 100

Data confidence: moderate

Citywide
6th
of all 3,753 parks
Among Ravine / Naturalized Park
4th
same primary typology
Expected for similar parks
37
median in large Ravine / Naturalized Park ravine (n=117)
Performance gap
-15
raw − expected · context confidence high
strong underperformer

Scores are not bell-curved. Percentiles and expected scores provide context without changing the underlying model.

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Street context. Park polygon highlighted on the citywide map.

Explain this score

Where did the 22 come from? Each weighted contribution against a neutral 50 baseline. Green = pushed up; red = pulled down.

Download JSON
What pushed this score up or down vs a neutral 50weight × score
Edge Activation0 · p44
-12.5
Amenity Diversity0 · p34
-10.0
Border Vacuum Risk100 (risk)
-5.0
Natural Comfort43 · p42
-1.0
Connectivity52 · p63
+0.5
Enclosure / Eyes on Park51 · p24
+0.1

Sum of contributions = the headline score. A negative bar means that dimension dragged the park below the city-wide neutral baseline.

Why this park works

North York Hydro Green Space works because its connectivity score (52) is middle of the pack (11 intersections fall within 100 m of the edge).

What limits this park

North York Hydro Green Space is held back by enclosure (51, bottom quartile); border-vacuum risk is also elevated (100).

Most distinctive characteristic

Most distinctive feature: exceptionally low enclosure (51, bottom quartile).

Jacobs reading

North York Hydro Green Space is currently underperforming on both axes: neither integrated into the city nor offering deep natural respite. A candidate for design intervention.

Performance in context

  • Strong underperformer relative to its cohort: raw 22 vs an expected 37 (gap -15).

Typology classification

confidence 75%
Ravine / Naturalized Parkalso reads as Neighbourhood Park

Classified as Ravine / Naturalized Park: 45% ravine overlap, 0% canopy. Secondary read: Neighbourhood Park (7.4 ha, framed by 4 mid-rise vs 0 towers).

Edge Activation

25% weightpartial 60%
0.0 / 100

Within 100 m of the park edge: 6 active uses (retail, transit_stop, community) and 11 dead/hostile uses (parking_lot, rail, highway). Active edges keep "eyes on the park" through the day; parking lots, blank institutional walls, rail and highway frontages drain street life.

Source: OpenStreetMap: cafes, restaurants, shops, schools, community centres, transit, parking, highways, rail. All data sources.

Connectivity

20% weightmeasured 85%
52.3 / 100

Connectivity blends paths, intersections, transit, entrances, and edge density. This park has 1 mapped paths/walkways and 11 sidewalk segments within 50 m; 11 street intersections within 100 m; 2 streetcar or LRT stops, 7 bus stops within a 400 m walk; 0 estimated access points across ~1,752 m of perimeter. low edge density, significant superblock penalty applied. Source coverage: centreline, pedestrian_network, transit_osm.

Streets within 25 m8
Intersections within 100 m11
Paths/walkways (50 m)1
Sidewalk segments (50 m)11
Transit stops (400 m)9 (0 subway/GO, 2 streetcar/LRT, 7 bus)
Estimated entrances0
Edge connections / 100 m perimeter0.46
Park perimeter1,752 m

Source: Toronto Centreline V2 + Pedestrian Network + OSM transit stops. All data sources.

Amenity Diversity

20% weightinferred 30%
0.0 / 100

No amenities recorded.

Source: Toronto Parks & Recreation Facilities + OSM amenity tags. All data sources.

Natural Comfort

15% weightpartial 45%
43.4 / 100

Natural-comfort components for this park: 0.0% estimated tree canopy; 44.6% inside the ravine system; nearest waterbody ~359 m. Reading: ravine-cooled. Source coverage: ravine, waterbodies. Impervious surface is approximated (Toronto's authoritative layer ships only as a raster GeoTIFF).

Canopy coverage0.0%
Canopy area0.00 ha
Inside ravine system44.6%
Water surface inside park0.0%
Nearest water (if outside park)359 m
Estimated green100.0%
City-mapped trees inside polygon0
Tree density0.0 / ha
Cover diversity (Shannon, 0 to 100)99.2
Sample points used112

Source: Toronto Treed Area + Ravine + Waterbodies + Street Tree Inventory. All data sources.

Enclosure / Eyes on Park

10% weightmeasured 80%
50.5 / 100

36 buildings within 25 m of the park edge (4 mid-rise, 32 low-rise, 0 tower); avg edge height 6.6 m (~2 floors); 2.1 buildings per 100 m of 1,752 m perimeter (moderate frontage density); edges are low-rise (mostly 2 to 3 floors); no towers immediately adjacent. "Eyes on the park" come strongest from the 4 mid-rise edge buildings.

Buildings within 25 m36
Buildings within 50 m36
Avg edge height6.6 m (~2 floors)
Tallest edge building21.5 m
Mid-rise (3 to 7 floors)4
Low-rise (< 3 floors)32
Towers (≥ 13 floors)0
Frontage density2.06 per 100 m perimeter
Mid-rise share of edge11%
Tower share of edge0%
Blank-edge share (proxy)32%
Park perimeter1,752 m

Source: Toronto 3D Massing (building footprints + heights). All data sources.

Border Vacuum Risk

10% weightpartial 60%
100.0 risk

Border-vacuum factors within 50 m of the park: Line 5 Eglinton, parking_lot, parking_lot, Eglinton Avenue East, Eglinton Avenue East. Jacobs warned that highways, rail, parking lots and blank institutional edges act as "vacuums" that suppress foot traffic and isolate the park from its neighbourhood.

Source: OpenStreetMap: highways, rail, parking. All data sources.

Equity Context

contextinferred 15%
50.0 / 100

Equity Context requires inputs not yet loaded for this park (Toronto Neighbourhood Profiles). Score is held at a neutral 50 with low confidence. Read with caution.

Source: Not loaded yet: Toronto Neighbourhood Profiles. All data sources.

Amenities (0)

No amenities recorded for this park.

Nearby active-edge features (51)

  • parking lot17 m
  • retail: Brightside Customs23 m
  • rail: Line 5 Eglinton26 m
  • highway: Eglinton Avenue East28 m
  • highway: Eglinton Avenue East42 m
  • retail: Habitat for Humanity ReStore42 m
  • transit stop44 m
  • parking lot45 m
  • transit stop: 195 Bermondsey Road52 m
  • community: Victoria Village Arena52 m
  • rail: Line 5 Eglinton55 m
  • rail: Line 5 Eglinton63 m
  • parking lot73 m
  • parking lot80 m
  • parking lot93 m
  • parking lot95 m
  • retail: Golden Mile Chrysler Jeep Dodge98 m
  • parking lot108 m
  • transit stop: Sloane111 m
  • parking lot114 m
  • retail: Cash Money114 m
  • retail: Fitness Depot114 m
  • retail119 m
  • restaurant: Churrasco Portugril124 m
  • parking lot126 m
  • retail129 m
  • restaurant: Pizza Nova129 m
  • parking lot140 m
  • transit stop: Bartley Drive140 m
  • rail: Line 5 Eglinton140 m
  • parking lot142 m
  • rail: Line 5 Eglinton143 m
  • parking lot144 m
  • retail: Plush by Marina147 m
  • parking lot155 m
  • parking lot157 m
  • parking lot165 m
  • highway: Eglinton Avenue East165 m
  • parking lot167 m
  • parking lot170 m
  • transit stop: Eglinton Avenue East173 m
  • parking lot173 m
  • parking lot174 m
  • transit stop: Bartley Drive176 m
  • parking lot177 m
  • parking lot185 m
  • parking lot187 m
  • transit stop: Eglinton Avenue East187 m
  • transit stop: Sloane188 m
  • cafe: Tim Hortons195 m
  • retail: Circle K199 m

Park profile

Five-axis radar across the structural dimensions.

Edge ActivationConnectivityAmenity DiversityNatural ComfortEnclosureNorth York Hydro Green Space
Edge activation, connectivity, amenity diversity, natural comfort, and enclosure, each 0 to 100.

Citywide percentile ranks

Across all Toronto parks in the dataset.

  • Overall vitality
    6th
  • Edge activation
    44th
  • Connectivity
    63th
  • Amenity diversity
    34th
  • Natural comfort
    42th
  • Enclosure
    24th

Most similar parks

Closest in metric space across the five structural dimensions.

Most opposite parks

Furthest in metric space. Useful for recognising what kind of park this isn’t.

Human activity signals: not available

No activity signals have landed for this park yet. The model has scored its physical form but it can’t yet say how often it’s programmed, photographed, or walked through. See /data-ethics for what we will and will not collect.

Does this score feel accurate?

Your read of North York Hydro Green Space matters. We’re testing whether the model lines up with how people actually use the park. Submissions are stored locally; no account needed.

Tell us how this park feels

We measure structure (canopy, edges, connectivity). You measure feeling. Both matter, and disagreement is itself useful civic data.

Rate this park on as many dimensions as you have an opinion about. 1 = not at all, 5 = strongly. Skip the ones you don't feel sure about. Aggregated only, no comments stored at the row level.

feels socially active
feels comfortable
feels safe
feels connected
feels welcoming
feels ecological / natural
feels good for lingering
feels family-friendly
feels culturally important
70%

What would improve this park?

Generated from the weakest measured dimensions: a starting point, not a prescription.

  • Activate the edges: encourage cafés, retail or community uses on the streets that face the park; replace blank or parking-lot edges where possible.
  • Diversify what people can do in the park (playground, washroom, water, shade, performance, sport, garden): even small additions raise this score.
  • Increase canopy and reduce paved area. Shade and water features extend usable hours and seasons.
  • Mitigate border vacuums (highways, rail, parking) with active programming on the still-permeable edges and treat the hostile edge as a design challenge.

Data sources

real Toronto data
  • City of Toronto Open Data: Green Spaces
    Polygon boundaries, official names, land classes. Boundaries are reconciled against OpenStreetMap (ODbL) for new and updated parks.
  • Parks & Recreation Facilities
    Inventory of in-park amenities (washrooms, fields, rinks…).
  • Toronto Pedestrian Network
    Sidewalk segments around and through parks; estimated park entrances.
  • Toronto Centreline V2
    Street segments + intersection nodes near park edges; trails and walkways.
  • Toronto 3D Massing
    Building footprints + heights for edge-building counts, frontage density, and tower-in-the-park risk.
  • Toronto Treed Area
    Tree canopy share inside park polygons via stratified-grid sampling.
  • Toronto Waterbodies & Rivers
    Water surface inside parks + nearest-water distance for cooling.
  • Ravine & Natural Feature Protection
    Ravine overlap as a cooling / natural-comfort signal.
  • Toronto Street Tree Inventory
    Tree count + density inside park polygons.
  • OpenStreetMap (Overpass API)
    Cafés, restaurants, retail, transit stops, parking, highways, rail.